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Message from the Head Teacher Dear Parents/Carers and children,

We are coming to the end of our term and I want to write to tell you what exciting things we have planned! On Monday 17th December a farm is visiting our school so that children learn about caring for animal in winter and also about the stable animals when Jesus was born. Terri from the local Church is coming to work with Year 1 on a Christingle activity. On 18th December we have our evening Wriggly Nativity – tickets now on sale. Please remember that all children are involved – please speak to your child’s teacher about the costume we need you to make to help us! On Wednesday 19th December the school is going to the local Church to find out more about the Christmas message and On Thursday 20th the children will watch a pantomime which is coming to school. What wonderful learning opportunities at Avanti Court! As the cold weather draws in, please remember to keep warm and safe as you come to and leave school. Be bright and be seen is the message that the children have been told. If there is a really bad spell of weather that requires us to shut the school (as it was a few years ago) we ask that you check our website www.avantcourt.org.uk where we will post a message. Also check our facebook http://www.facebook.com/avantischoolstrust

With warm regards,

Mr. James Biddulph, Head Teacher

UNIFORM – Polite Reminder… Children  need  to  wear  black  shoes  to  school  with  no  heel.  Although  it  is  cold,  boots  are  not  allowed  because  they  do  not  have  a  safe  grip.  Children  can  change  their  black  shoes.  

NATIVITY

18th December

5.30 Avanti Court

School Children go

home at 3.10 and return to

school at 5.15 dressed in

their costumes

UNIFORM – Polite Reminder… Children  need  to  wear  black  shoes  to  school  with  no  heel.  Although  it  is  cold,  boots  are  not  part  of  the  school  uniform  –  and  Ugg  boots  are  not  allowed  because  they  do  not  have  a  safe  grip.  Children  can  change  their  footwear  in  class  from  wellington  boots  to  their  black  shoes.  

parentview.ofsted.gov.uk

Learning together: Learning Forever More parent workshops are planned for Spring 2013. These will include sessions about: Philosophy and Ethics, What Learning Is?, Maths, Reading and Speaking and Listening. Information to follow….WATCH THIS SPACE

Have you g iven your v iews? I f you f ind a quest ion that you answer ‘Don ’t Know ’

p lease speak to us so we can in form you or p lan a sess ion to in form a l l parents . He lp us to improve the schoo l p leased !

Key Dates:  17th  December:  Christmas  Festival  (for  children  in  school)    18th  December:  Nativity  Show  (Reception  Children  and  Year  1)    19th  December:  Reception  and  Year  1  visit  church    20th  December:  Panto  comes  to  school  School  closes  at  1.30pm    INSET  DAY  7th  January  2013    Children  start    8th  January  2013      

Quote of the week: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”���Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart , all your soul , and all your mind. ’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself . ’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments .” (Matthew 22:36-40)

Helping your child: partners in your child’s learning journey

WEEK 3 MON TUE WED THU FRI

MAIN DISH Matar Paneer (Pea & Curd Cheese Curry) with Rice

Spaghetti (Soya Mince in Tomato Sauce)

Macaroni Cheese

Margharita Pizza

Rice & Daal (Green Moong)

VEGETABLES Winter Mixed Salad Carrots & Sweetcorn Brocolli Sweetcorn or Green Beans

New Potatoes

DESSERT Ice Cream & Fruit Halva Jelly & Ice Cream Flapjack

Rice Pudding & Jam

L U N C H

Fullwell Cross Library offers many free activities. Every Tuesday there is a CHESS CLUB at 4.45pm. Please visit and join your child so you can support their reading. http://www2.redbridge.gov.uk and follow links to libraries

Kelly  Collins  Reveals  All!  What’s  your  favourite  book?  To  Kill  a  Mockingbird  by  Harper  Lee  What’s  your  favourite  food?  Probably  seafood  or  anything  by  the  sea!  Where’s  your  favourite  holiday  destination?  Aruba  –  a  tiny  Island  in  the  Caribbean    Who  would  play  you  in  a  movie  about  your  life?  Greta  Garbo  What’s  your  most  embarrassing  moment?  I  went  to  a  posh  ball  once  and  I  won  a  raffle  ticket  (so  I  thought)  and  I  ran  up  on  the  stage  for  my  prize  and  they  told  me  it  was  the  wrong  colour  ticket.    

Never  before  has  there  been  such  a  rich  bank  of  educational  research  from  which  schools  can  draw  to  inform  their  work.  At  Avanti  Court  we  never  assume  anything.  For  example,  the  traditional  idea  that  more  homework  is  better  for  children  is  something  we  researched  and  discovered  some  interesting  results.  Did  you  know  that  recent  evidence  drawing  on  75  years  of  research  suggests  that  homework  in  primary  school  does  not  impact  on  children’s  progress  and  standards  -­‐    where  as  in  secondary  school  there  is  some  evidence  that  some  homework  is  useful.      Home  Learning  projects  aim  to  give  children  and  their  families  a  structure  to  explore,  investigate  and  develop  the  self-­‐discipline  necessary  to  be  successful  at  university  and  in  many  aspects  of  life.  At  Avanti  we  expect  children  to  learn  sight  words  (depending  on  their  age),  read  every  day,  be  read  to  every  day,  learn  key  maths  facts  (not  all  at  once),  remember  poems  by  heart,  timestables  (depending  on  their  age  and  NOT  in  Reception)  and  information  that  they  have  learnt  through  these  home  learning  projects.      What  does  help?  

• Significant  gains  in  attainment  meanwhile  come  from  proven  classroom  approaches  –  providing  effective  feedback  on  pupil’s  performance,  encouraging  students  to  think  about  their  own  learning  strategies,  and  getting  pupils  to  learn  from  each  other.  Implemented  correctly,  these  approaches  can  increase  pupils’  performance  by  an  extra  eight  or  nine  months  in  a  school  year  for  a  very  low  cost,  according  to  the  Sutton  Trust  research.  

http://www.suttontrust.com/news/news/smaller-­‐classes-­‐uniforms-­‐and-­‐primary-­‐homework-­‐among/